Rail-anchor.



H. H. SPONENBUHG.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I6, 1915.

1, 177,731. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEE TS-SHEET I.

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H. H. SPONENBURG.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION mu) AUG.I6, 191s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A TTORNE Y5.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916."

H. H. SPONENBURG.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED Aus,16.1915.

m I a m H m 1E n TI JNVENTOR. i

. ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM H. SPONENBURG, 0F GURNEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO OTTO R. BARNETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A r.4, 1916.

Application filed August 16, 1915. Srial No. 45,719.

at Gurnee, in the county of Lake and State,

of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Anchors, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for preventing the longitudinal creep of railway rails, devices of this sort being commonly called rail anchors, rail stays or anti-creepers, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a rail anchor with novel and more efficient means than has been heretofore employed for maintaining the grip of the device on the rail as against disturbing influences such as the vibration of the rail, diiferences in expansion and contraction of metals due to temperature changes, and the tendency of rails to re-act in a direction reverse to the direction of travel after the forward impulse has ceased.

The invention has for a further object to provide a rail anchor comprising a yoke adapted to extend, around the base of the rail and wedging means driven in between the yoke and the edge of the rail consisting of rigid and flexible members, the latter being put under stress against the edge of the rail and formed so as to take a firm hold upon the rail, thereby preventing any retrograde movement of the wedging means.

The invention has for further objects such other new and improved constructions, ar-

rangements and devices relating to devices for preventing the longitudinal creep of railroad rails as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is ferred embodiment, drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail anchor constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention illustrated asapplied to the rail, the latter being in section.

illustrated, in a prein I the accompanying Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are views, in perspective, of the two members which together constitute the wedging means intervening between the.

body of the anchor or yoke member and the rail. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction, and Fig. 8

is a plan view .of the device shown in Fig. 7 with certain parts in section.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, A is the rail and B oneof the cross ties on which the rail is supported. The rail anchor, in the embodiment of my invention shown in these figures, consists of a yoke member C formed at one end with a aw D adapted to engage one edge of the base flange of rail A and at the other end with a larger aw E. At this end of the yoke there is a tie abutting flange F which bears against the side face of the tie B. The other end of the yoke preferably stands a little away from the tie for the purposeof obtaining the cramping action by which a forward creeping tendency is self-checked, which is familiar in devices of this sort.

The yoke C consists preferably, though not necessarily, of a single'integral malleable casting of suflicient size and suitably ribbed to withstand the very severe stresses jacent edge of the base flange of the railand is preferably provided at one extremity with a somewhat sharp cutting edge K which bites into the edge of the rail. At the other extremity the member J is formed with a projection or hook L which extends around the end of wedge G.

The wedging means, consisting of members G, J, is driven into jaw E so as to put member J under bending stress by striking on the large end of wedge member G. The

member J, because of its flexibility, tends to I absorb vibration so as to prevent the'wedging means from backing out of the jaw of the yoke. Retrograde movement of the wedging means is also checked by the fact that the cutting edge J will bite into the edge of the rail, as indicated in Fig.2. It

will be seen that the member J, originally slightly curved, is bent out bv being driven with the wedge into J, E, so that for a considerable portion of its length it lies along and against the edge of the rail base, providing with the wedge a rigid and positive means for holding the yoke on the rail.

A modified construction is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The flexible member J, which, as in the other construction, preferably intervenes between the base of the rail and the wedge member designated G is straight for ber provided at most of its length, instead of being curved as is the case with the flexible member J. The

extremity, however, of the member J is curved as indicated at J the dotted lines (Fig. 8) indicating the contour of the end of the flexible member before being put under bending stress, and the full lines the posi tion which the curved end of said member assumes when the rail anchor is in operative position on the rail. The wedging means G, J may be driven into the jaw E of yoke member C by striking on the thicker end of wedge member G.

IVhile I have described 'myinvention in certain preferred embodiments, further modifications, I apprehend, might be made without departure from the. principles of the invention. Therefore I do not Wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the exact constructions and arrangements shown and described except so far as the claims are specifically so limited.

I claim:

1. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid memberand a flexible memone extremity with a biting edge.

2. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base ofa rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member provided at one extremity with a biting edge and at the other with means engaging said element with the rigid element.

3. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the 1 base of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member provided at one extremity with a biting edge and at the other with means engaging said flexible member with the rigid member.

4. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the voke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible mem' ber provided. at one extremity with a biting edge adapted to engage the edge of the rail base, and at the other with means for engaging said flexible member with the rigid memher.

5. In rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and rail comprising a flexible member which bears against the rail and a rigid member between the flexible member and the yoke.

6. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and rail comprising a flexible member which bears against the rail and is provided with a biting edge at one extremity, and a rigid member between the flexible member and the yoke.

V 7. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and rail comprising a flexible member which bears against the rail and is provided with a biting edge at one extremity, and a rigidmember between the flexible member and the yoke, and means engaging the flexible member withsaid rigid member. p

8. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member which has a projection at one end extending around the end of the rigid member.

9. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member bearing against the rail which has a projection at one end extending around the end of said rigid member.

10. In arail anchor, the combination of the base flange of a rail, and wedging means which intervenes between the yoke and the rail comprising a. rigid member and a flexible member bearing against the rail which has a projection at one end extending around the end of said rigid member and a biting edge at the other end adapted tobear against the rail.

11. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, a rigid wedge, and a flexible member which intervenes between the wedge and the rail.

12. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, a rigid wedge, and a flexible member which intervenes between the wedge and the rail and has a biting edge bearing against the rail.

13. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, a rigid wedge, and a flexible member which intervenes between the wedge and the rail and has a biting edge at one. end which bears upon the rail, and a projection at the other extending around one end of the wedge.

14. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail, a rigid wedge, and a flexible member which intervenes between the wedge and the rail and has a projection which extends around one end of the wedge. 15. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element which is adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail and is provided with a tie abutting flange, and wedging means adapted to be driven between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member, the latter of which is put under stress against the rail.

16. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element which is adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail and is provided with a tie abutting flange, and wedging means adapted to be driven between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member, the latter of which is put under stress against the rail and is provided with a biting edge adapted to bite into the rail.

17. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element which is adapted to extend around the base flange of a rail. and is provided with a tie abutting flange, and wedging means adapted to be driven between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member, the latter of which is put under stress against the rail and is provided with a biting edge adapted to bite into the rail and with means engaging it with said rigid member so that said members move together when the rigid member is driven in place.

18. In a rail anchor, the combination of a yoke element which is adapted to extend around the base flange of arail and is provided with a tie abutting flange, and wedging means adapted to be driven between the yoke and the rail comprising a rigid member and a flexible member,= the latter of which is formed at one end with a biting edge engaging the rail and at the other end with a projection which extends around the end of the wedge.

19. In a rail anchor, the combination of into said last mentioned jaw, and a curved spring member which intervenes between said Wedge and the edge of the rail.

20. In a rail anchor, the combination of an integral yoke member formed at one end with a jaw adapted to engage one edge of the base flange of a rail and at the other end with a larger jaw having an interior Wedge face, a wedge adapted to be driven into said last mentioned jaw, and a curved spring member which intervenes between said wedge and the edge of the rail and is formed at one end with a biting edge adapted to engage the edge of the railbase and at the other with a projection which extends around the end of said wedge.

21. In combination, a rail and a rail anchor comprising rail gripping means and a flexible, slightly bowed strip of metal, one end of which is held in rigid, clamped relation with the rail gripping means and rail, the other end being out of contact with one of said last two mentioned elements except at its extremity which bears resiliently against said element.

22. In combination, a rail and a rail anchor comprising rail gripping means and a flexible, slightly bowed strip of metal, one end of which is held in rigid clamped relation with'the rail gripping means and rail, the other end being out of contact With one of said last two mentioned elements except at its extremity which is provided with a biting edge bearing resiliently against said element.v

23. In combination, a rail and a rail anchor comprising rail gripping means and a flexible. slightly bowed strip 01": metal, one

end of which is held in rigid, clamped rela- 

